Planning and Implementing a Digital Library Project

Planning and
Implementing a Digital
Library Project
Kristine Brancolini, Director
Jenn Riley, Metadata Librarian
Indiana University
Digital Library Program
www.dlib.indiana.edu

Workshop Outline
 Introductions/Review Handouts
 Background on IU Digital Library Program
 Statewide digital library planning: Indiana Digital
Library Summit
 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
funding for digitization: New standards and
guidelines
 Define/Plan/Write Project Application
 Do the project
 Evaluate the project
 Workshop evaluation

Definition of Digital Library
A digital library is a networked collection of
digital objects – text, still images, moving
images, sound, data – with arrangement,
search features, and metadata that allow for
discovery and presentation, supporting
research and teaching, and with attention
paid to architecture, persistence, longevity,
and digital preservation.

Definition of Digital Library
A digital library is a networked collection of
digital objects – text, still images, moving
images, sound, data – with arrangement,
search features, and metadata that allow for
discovery and presentation, supporting
research and teaching, and with attention
paid to architecture, persistence,
longevity, and digital preservation.

What is a Digital Library
Project?
 Digital conversion for the purpose of online access
to an information resource
 Creation of metadata for future digital conversion
 Tools for creating online resources
It is not only creating a web site. It is not only
scanning to place photographs or other images on
your web site. The goal to create and sustain
“good” digital collections.

Building “Good digital
collections”*
 Interoperable – with the important goal of
cross-collection searching
 Persistent – reliably accessible
 Re-usable – repositories of digital objects that
can be used for multiple purposes
*Institute for Museum and Library Services. A Framework of Guidance for
Building Good Digital Collections. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Museum
and Library Services, November 2001.
www.niso.org/framework/forumframework.html

Collection Defined
A collection can be defined as a selected and
organized set of digital materials (objects)
along with the metadata that describes them
and at least one interface that gives access
to them.

Achieving “Good Collections”
 Curated, cohesive group of materials
 Adherence to standards and best practices
 We must do things the way that others do them
 We must use commons systems or create metadata
in ways that allow us to share
The Internet means that we are all in it together – large
and small. Digital libraries are by nature
collaborative and national/international.

Indiana Digital Library Summit
 Convened in December 2003 by Barbara Maxwell,
Indiana State Librarian
 Goal: “To bring together representatives from all
types of Indiana libraries, as well as archives,
historical societies, and allied cultural
organizations. The purpose was to begin
discussing how those groups can work together on
the common issue of digitizing unique Indiana
resources.”
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/diglibin/

Mission Statement
The Indiana Digital Library, a collaboration of
Indiana libraries, museums, archives, and
related cultural organizations, enables access to
Indiana's unique cultural and historical heritage
through a variety of digital formats and free
distribution over the Internet. The IDL seeks to
support and enhance education and scholarship
for all Hoosiers for increased understanding of
Indiana's past and its role in preparing for
Indiana's future.
-- Approved 5/19/2004

Indiana Digital Library
Developments
 Indiana State Library is going to license
ContentDM for all libraries in the state
 Indiana University plans to submit a separate
grant to ISL to create a portal of Indiana-
related content, using OAI metadata
harvesting
 Indiana University and Indiana State Library
submitted an IMLS grant to study statewide
digital library financing and sustainability

Principles
 Adherence to national standards and
recommended best practices
 Leverage existing digital library expertise in
the state
 Recognize that most smaller institutions
cannot build their own digital library
infrastructure; partners could offer hosting
 Explore regional digitization centers and
centralized hosting of digital content

New LSTA Requirements
(2005)
 Local, unique content with statewide interest
 Relates to existing digital content
 Follows standards and guidelines established by
Indiana Digital Library working groups
 Has P-16 educational component or potential for
development
 Collaborative projects given preference
Our goal is to give you the tools to meet these
requirements and recommendations; refer to the
“Overview and Guidelines” document for specific
information.

Most important point --
Make sure that there is a good match between
the components of the project plan you
developed and the LSTA categories of
funding, priorities, and evaluation criteria.
You may have an excellent idea for a digital
project, but be sure that it fits the requirements
for LSTA funding.

LSTA Grant Summary 2005
 24 grants were submitted – 12 were funded;
list on web site:
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/diglibin/LSTA
_digital_grantFY05.pdf
 Most were from academic or public libraries
 Total requests: More than $500,000
 Amount available: $250,000
 For the first time, proposals were reviewed by
an experienced committee

High Priority Subject Matter
(2006)[1/2]
 Theme: “Personal narrative, life in
Indiana”
 Does it identify Hoosier traits?
 Does it inform our understanding of
Indiana history?
 New in 2006
 Content areas targeted in 2005 are still a
priority

(2006) [2/2]
 Famous Hoosiers
 Underground Railroad
 Native Americans of Indiana
 Transportation -- regardless of time period, including
canals, railroads, National Road
 Indiana at War
 Civil War -- all aspects
 Indiana in World War I
 Indiana in World War II
 Communication -- regardless of time period, including
early newspapers
 Architecture -- regardless of time period

Changes in 2006
 Partnership was always given priority, but in 2006 it will
be required if you are not experienced.
 Website includes examples of proposals
 Vigo County for experienced libraries
 Jasper County Public Library for inexperienced
libraries
 Priority given to libraries that contribute matching funds
 The project plan must address sustainability; how will
you support this resource once the grant funding ends?
 You must list URLs for completed projects or those of
your partner,
 Grant limit is $40,000

Define the Project
 Why you are undertaking the project?
 For whom you are undertaking the project?
 What you want the project to achieve?
 How you will achieve it?
 When you will achieve it?
 How will you measure success?

Plan the Project
 Plan activities that will help you develop and
implement your project's solution
 Develop an evaluation approach to determine
whether your project's goals are being met
 Create a schedule based on the activities and the
evaluation approach
 Identify and assign appropriate personnel and
material resources
 Develop a budget for your project
 Decide on appropriate sources of funding and in-
kind contributions to close any resource "gaps"

Planning Activities
 Selection of content
 Select appropriate standards and guidelines
 Write the proposal
 Timeline
 Budget preparation
 Categories of expenses
 Calculating costs
 Sustainability planning

Selection Basics
 Purpose
 Copyright/Intellectual Property
 Audience
 LSTA guidelines from the Indiana State
Library
 Selection Priorities
 Other considerations for any project

Purpose/Need
 You must be able to explain succinctly what you
want to do and why; define need from users’
perspective.
 Why is it desirable to digitize these materials?
 Preservation
 Access
 Both
 What will users be able to do with these materials that they
cannot do now?
 What is the significance of the materials you want to
digitize? Why these and not others?

Copyright
 What is the copyright status of this material?
 Public domain
 Pre-1923
 Not renewed
 Unpublished material; author deceased <1932
 Controlled by your library/archive
 Transferred by deed of gift
 Copyrighted by your institution
 Permission secured
 Situation unknown or murky; not necessarily bad

Audience
 Who currently uses these materials?
 Who is the primary intended audience?
 Is there a secondary intended audience?
 In general, do you anticipate that this resource will
be used by a large number of people or a very
specialized or small number of users?
Indiana Digital Library is interested in educational and
cultural use; genealogy projects should have an
audience that is broader than genealogy
researchers.

Important Points/
LSTA Priorities
 All projects require a time commitment from
permanent staff – even if you have external funding.
 Selecting one project means that others must be
rejected.
 Digital projects require a long-term commitment to
sustain the resource.
 Local, unique content with potential statewide
interest.
 Develop some tentative ideas then see if you can
partner with another library; this will strengthen the
proposal for LSTA funding.

Selection Priorities
 Significant collection or materials
 Current audience or potential audience
 Popular collections
 Can partner to create the collection
 Meets the Indiana Digital Library collection
development guidelines
 Item-level information or metadata available
 Complements previous projects – creation of a
critical mass

Writing the Proposal
 Start with the selection criteria for the grant program,
in this case LSTA Digitization Grants from the
Indiana State Library
 Write about the significance of the project, then
move to the technical plan
 Be prepared to change your project once you begin
the planning process
 Assemble resources that can help you with your
project planning and proposal writing
Indiana State Library Website:
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/diglibin/

General Proposal Outline
 Description of the Project
 Goals and Objectives
 Plan of Work
 Intellectual access
 Digital conversion
 Network delivery and access
 Preservation and maintenance of files
 Evaluation
 Impact on the community
 Primary staff
 Timeline
 Budget and budget narrative (explain elements)

LSTA Application 2006 [1/3]
 Part 1. Project Summary – brief; must fit into
space on cover sheet
 Part 2. May attach extra sheets.
 Need – not YOUR need but your USERS’ need
for the project.
 Activities – Be very specific! This was one of the
biggest problems last year; too general about
what the applicant would actually do with the
money. More about this section later…

 Evaluation – Two aspects
 What will be the output from your project?
 What will be the impact of your project?
 Awareness
 How will you advertise your project?
 Timeframe
 List each activity and how long you estimate it will
take to complete; June 30, 2006-July 30, 2007

 Sustainability of the Online Resource
 When the grant ends, how will you keep the digital
collection up and running? Storage and delivery issues.
 Budget
 Provide a narrative explaining each category of funding
requested
 Include a statement of matching funds; what is your
institution providing?
 Previous Digital Projects
 URLs for your project(s) and/or your partner’s

Purpose of the Proposal
 Communicate clearly regarding what you
want to do and why it is important
 Persuade the selection committee that you
have the qualifications and experience to
complete the project as described
 Request adequate funding, with a budget that
reflects the work you must do to complete the
project; make sure that the budget matches
the project plan – not too high or low

Project Timeline
 Month-by-month activity outline; it will change once
the project begins, but it’s a starting point.
 Leave time at the beginning of the project to
organize.
 If you need help estimating the time it will take to do
the digitization, contact other libraries with
experience or consult sample proposals.
 Be sure to build in quality control.
 Everything takes longer than you think it will.
 Hiring people takes time.

Sustainability of the Online
Resource
 Primarily refers to digital content management
system; if you ask for a ContentDM license in the
grant, how will you pay for it when the grant ends?
 If you ask for a server, how will you replace it?
 If you don’t have anyone handling technical support
on staff, who will handle upgrades and
maintenance?
 If you have these resources, describe them.
 The biggest point is that you have thought have
these issues. If you don’t have a good plan,
reconsider applying this year.

Budget Elements
 Equipment – be specific; justify the choice of scanner, for
example
 Software
 Supplies – don’t nickel and dime
 Necessary training – don’t pad this
 Personnel – not full-time appointed staff; can fill in time
for part-time staff
 Services
 Metadata creation
 Digitization
 Lesson plans or other services
 Your partner could be one of your service providers!

Benefits to Partners
 For a large and/or experienced partner
 Access to complementary content
 Opportunity to share what we have learned
 Opportunity to learn from others
 For a small and/or inexperienced partner
 Access to complementary content
 Opportunity to share what we have learned
 Opportunity to learn from others

Healthy Partnerships
 Be sure to develop a clear understanding of what
each partner will contribute; doesn’t mean you
digitize each others content. Takes many forms.
 Contributions do not need to be equal
 The proposal may be your only written agreement or
you may need a separate memorandum of
agreement
 Be flexible and realize that the project may have to
change to meet both partners’ goals
 A vendor is not a partner; don’t confuse the two

Project Implementation
 Digitization
 Dealing with text
 Metadata

Digitization in context
 Can be one of the easier parts of digital
projects but still requires careful planning
 You don’t want to have to re-do digitization
later – do it right the first time!
 If it’s done poorly your whole project will
suffer

Materials for Digitization
 Still Images
 Printed text
 Handwritten text
 Photographic materials
 Newspapers
 Maps
 Sheet music
 Etc.!
 Audio
 Video

Capture once, use many
 Master file
 Captures all “important” information
 For long-term storage and later use
 Little or no processing done
 Sometimes called an “archival” file
 Still images almost always use uncompressed TIFF
 Captured from earliest generation practical
 Derivatives for specific uses
 Web viewing
 Printing
 Publication

Quick technical primer
 Resolution
 Bit depth
 Color representation
 Reflectivity and polarity

Resolution (1)
 Often referred to as “dpi” or “ppi”
 RATIO of number of pixels captured per inch
of original photo size
 8x10 print scanned at 300ppi = 2400 x 3000
pixels
 35mm slide (24x36mm!) scanned at 300ppi ≈ 212
x 318 pixels

Resolution (2)
 Higher is not always
better
 Scan at highest
resolution necessary to
achieve your stated
purpose, no higher
chart from Cornell’s online digital imaging tutorial:
<http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/tutorial/conversion/conversion-03.html>

Resolution (3)
 Common choices
 Photographic materials: 4000 pixels on longest
side
 Text: 600 ppi
 Read carefully best practices documents
listed on your handout before deciding what
resolution you will scan at

Bit depth
 Refers to how many colors are represented in
an image
 Common choices
 1-bit (bitonal), for printed text
 8-bit, for b/w photographs, handwritten text
 24-bit, for color materials

Color representation
 RGB
 Scanners generally have sensors for Red, Green,
and Blue
 Each of these “channels” is stored separately in
the digital file
 8 bits for each of 3 channels = 24 bit color
 CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black)
is used for high-end “pre-press” printing
purposes

Reflectivity and polarity
Positive Negative
Reflective Paper
Photographic prints
Transmissive Slide film Negative film

Use the right equipment (1)
 There is no single piece of digital imaging
equipment that can be used for all originals!
 Your goal is to produce high-quality, re-
usable images. A $1000 flatbed scanner
cannot do this for many types of originals.

Use the right equipment (2)
 Loose-leaf paper, 8.5” x 11” or smaller
 Paper sheets up to 11” x 17”
 Larger paper sheets
 Bound materials
 Brittle materials
 Negatives & slides

A good imaging workstation
 PC: $750
 2.8GHz processor
 512MB RAM
 80GB hard drive
 DVD+/-RW drive
 17” or larger CRT monitor, good quality: $750
 Flatbed scanner for medium- to large-format
photographs & negatives: $1000
 Scanning and image management software: $500

Produce locally or outsource?
 Local production
 With your own equipment
 With an experienced
partner institution
 Outsource
 To reputable vendor for a
fee
 In any case, YOU
manage the process
 Factors to consider
 Nature of materials
 Number of items
 Condition of items
 Value
 Homogeneity of
materials
 Funding sources (if you
are doing the project
over time, with multiple
funding sources, may not
be able to outsource)

Quality control
 Essential part of every digitization project
 Objective criteria
 Can be automated
 Can check all items
 Subjective criteria
 Require human checks
 Must sample

Dealing with text
 Scanned page of text is just a picture; it’s not
searchable
 Methods of converting to searchable text
 Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
 Double-keying
 Text encoding (e.g., in TEI) is yet another
level of processing

Metadata
 What is metadata?
 Types of metadata
 What you need metadata for
 Descriptive metadata
 How do I pick a metadata format?
 Crosswalks
 Good practices for metadata
 Metadata creation

What is metadata?
 “Data about data”
 “Structured information about an information
resource of any media type or format.”
*Caplan, Priscilla. 2003. Metadata fundamentals for all librarians. Chicago:
American Library Association. p. 3.

Types of metadata
 Descriptive metadata
 Administrative metadata
 Technical metadata
 Preservation metadata
 Rights metadata
 Structural metadata
 Cataloging… AND MUCH MORE!

Descriptive metadata
 Purpose
 Description
 Discovery
 Some common general schemas
 MARC
 Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
 Dublin Core
 MANY domain-specific schemas

How do I pick a metadata format?
 Genre of materials being described
 Format of materials being described
 Nature of holding institution
 Robustness needed for the given materials
and users
 What others in the community are doing
 Dublin Core can be a good choice, but
consider all options
 More information on handout

Crosswalks
 For transforming between metadata formats
 Mapping from more robust format to less
robust format effective; mapping from simpler
format to more robust format less so
 Good practice to create and store most
robust metadata format possible, then create
other views for specific needs
 Often need to tweak a generic crosswalk for
a specific implementation

Good practices for metadata
 Use library cataloging principles whenever
possible
 Enter one value per field; repeat fields when
necessary
 Clearly describing original vs. digitized item
 Clear relationships between records
 Plan for interoperability

Metadata creation
 Spreadsheets
 Databases
 XML
 Library catalogs
 Digital library content management systems
 ContentDM
 Greenstone

Storage
 Storage of master files
 Local server hard disks (with backups)
 May not have enough space
 Optical media (CD-R, DVD-R)
 Longevity questions
 Need good file naming scheme and a way of keeping track of which
files are on which discs
 Digital preservation repository service
 e.g. OCLC Digital Archive
 Very new option, not much experience yet
 Have partner institution store for you
 Storage of derivative files
 Typically stored in whatever system is used for delivery

Access
 LSTA projects must produce content freely
accessible to the public via the WWW
 Web design
 Adhere to standards
 User input
 Look for models

Two approaches to delivery
 Basic web pages
 Pros: Easy to do
 Cons: Difficult to maintain, no searching, no
dynamic browsing
 Digital library software
 Pros: Powerful functionality for searching,
browsing, and managing content
 Cons: Can require high level of technical skill, can
be expensive

Digital library delivery software
options
 Off the shelf software
 CONTENTdm
 Integrated Library System (ILS) vendors,
e.g. ExLibris Digitool
 Open source software
 Greenstone
 Build your own
 Web application on top of relational database such as
FileMaker or Microsoft SQL Server
 Use a digital collection hosting service
 e.g. ILS vendors, OCLC-hosted CONTENTdm
 Partner with another institution

Some characteristics of a good
delivery system
 Easy to use and accessible interface
 For patrons and catalogers/administrators
 Customizable user interface
 Can integrate into your web site
 Persistent URLs for individual items
 So that users can link to them
 Can easily import/export objects
 Can share information about collections with others
 Support for Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata
Harvesting (OAI-PMH)

Evaluation
 In grant proposal
 Outline evaluation plan
 Cover how project will impact end-users
 At end of project
 How well you met project objectives
 How well your online resource meets the needs of
users

Evaluation Activities
 Review of the project's goals
 Data collected from the project's evaluation
approach
 Interpretation of the data
 “Lessons learned"
 Recommendations for improving future
projects

Digital States
 A discussion list for participants in statewide digital
library planning.
http://lists.mdch.org/bin/listinfo/digistates
 Web site with links to resources and information
about statewide digital library efforts.
 Links to state web sites:
http://www.mtsu.edu/~kmiddlet/stateportals.html
 Digital Best Practices (University of Washington):
http://digitalwa.statelib.wa.gov/newsite/best.htm

More information
 Kris Brancolini: brancoli@indiana.edu
 Jenn Riley: jenlrile@indiana.edu
 http://www.dlib.indiana.edu
 http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/diglibin/

Advanced Digital Library
Project Planning
Kristine Brancolini, Director
Jenn Riley, Metadata Librarian
Indiana University
Digital Library Program
www.dlib.indiana.edu

Outline
 Review of major points regarding the Indiana
Digital Library
 LSTA guidelines and changes from 2005
 Moving from novice to expert
 Sources of grants/Advice
 Small group discussion of project ideas/draft
proposals
 Wrap up – How could we help one another?

Mission Statement
-- Indiana Digital Library
The Indiana Digital Library, a collaboration of
Indiana libraries, museums, archives, and
related cultural organizations, enables access to
Indiana's unique cultural and historical heritage
through a variety of digital formats and free
distribution over the Internet. The IDL seeks to
support and enhance education and scholarship
for all Hoosiers for increased understanding of
Indiana's past and its role in preparing for
Indiana's future.
-- Approved 5/19/2004

New LSTA Requirements
(2005)
 Local, unique content with statewide interest
 Relates to existing digital content
 Follows standards and guidelines established
by Indiana Digital Library working groups
 Has P-16 educational component or potential
for development
 Collaborative projects given preference

(2006) [1/2]
 Theme: “Personal narrative, life in
Indiana”
 Does it identify Hoosier traits?
 Does it inform our understanding of
Indiana history?
 New in 2006
 Content areas targeted in 2005 are still a
priority

Moving from Novice to Expert
[1/3]
 Learn from past projects
 Keep detailed records about what worked and
what didn’t
 Track your time on task, so you know how long
each activity took – not always a perfect match
with the next project, but a good start
 Keep careful financial records; budgeting is one of
the hardest aspects of project planning
 Seek advanced training if necessary

[2/3]
 Create strategic partnerships
 Choose partners who will help you increase your
knowledge
 Find partners who are more expert in some area
 Share your experiences in publications and
presentations – this will push you to learn
more
 Seek challenging projects; once you “master”
some aspect, try something new

[3/3]
 Outsource routine work; once it is no longer
challenging, try to find someone else to do it.
 Consider developing a project with national
appeal and going for larger grants or a
different kind of grant – but be realistic.
 Build upon past projects – digitize more of a
larger collection or a complementary
collection

Major grantors to IU Libraries and
Cultural Heritage Institutions
• Institute of Museum and Library Services
• National Science Foundation
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• U.S. Department of Education
• National Archives and Records
Administration
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

More Information About Grants
 Digital Library Brown Bag presentation from
January 25, 2006, “Grant Opportunities and
Grant Writing for Digital Library Projects.
Slide available online:
www.dlib.indiana.edu/workshops/bbspring2006.htm

Planning and Implementing a Digital Library Project

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